Silent DiPietro back in Bridgeport

Updated 11:42 pm, Tuesday, February 26, 2013

BRIDGEPORT -- Rick DiPietro's Tuesday began early at the Wonderland of Ice, 10 years after the last time he practiced there as a Bridgeport Sound Tiger.

He got extra work before practice, taking shots from Nino Niederreiter, sharing a laugh with goalie consultant and former Bridgeport teammate Steve Valiquette, in his first practice since he was sent down from the New York Islanders on Saturday.

"He's a good guy," said Niederreiter, who played with DiPietro the past two years with the New York Islanders. "The public and the fans outside don't always look (at him) as positive as the players do."

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DiPietro, 31, declined to talk to the media after practice. He went from that right back to laughing with teammates in the lobby of the rink.

"He's awesome," defenseman Matt Donovan said. "He's such a good guy to have around. He's a good team guy.

"He wants to win. He wants to compete."

A series of injuries -- knees, hips, head -- have limited DiPietro's chances to compete and his results the past few years. A contract that runs through 2021 has heightened the attention.

He had played over 60 games in three consecutive NHL seasons through the summer of 2008. He has played only 50 NHL games since.

"He's got the guys' respect," Niederreiter said. "He's battling. That's something I took from him: It's not easy to come back, but he's got the work ethic. He wants to compete."

Sound Tigers coach Scott Pellerin had a brief meeting with DiPietro on Tuesday morning after the goalie arrived. They haven't decided when he'll play his first game for Bridgeport, which has three games in three days beginning Friday in Hartford.

"He's been here before. Nothing's new to him," Pellerin said. "It's great ... to have somebody with that type of experience and who has battled through that kind of adversity."

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